A confused life
In the years when the "French New Wave" was in full swing, Jacques Rivette was also regarded as a "cursed filmmaker." Such a title is almost a double-edged sword - through this title, you can imagine how much a dreamer in the field of imaging has to pay to shoot the movie in his heart; however, because of this title, he has gone through a long process of creation. It has been misunderstood and even underestimated in many places.
The chessboard of life and the labyrinth of symbols
As one of the five heroes of "Cahiers du Cinema" who was the mainstay of the "New Wave", Rivette was known for his lifelong stay away from commercial "artistic purity" famous. Among his companions, Truffaut returned with leisure and sentimentality to the tradition of "French quality cinema" that he once railed against, and in the ten years before his untimely death, contributed to half of the French film box office. Godard, the genius and rebellious son, embraced politics in the storm of 1968, drifted away from the mainstream film industry, and finally broke away. Now, he is hiding in the green mountains and green waters of Switzerland like a legendary symbol. Chabrol remained obsessed with mysticism for many years and viewed the bourgeoisie, the main consumers of his films, with a cynical and distrustful eye. Rohmer, the rational and romantic Rohmer, for forty years, like a master of fine brushwork, described men and women trapped in the labyrinth of love and the crisis deep in their souls.
Rivette, who just celebrated his 80th birthday, is still an author who is difficult to define. His works such as "Céline and Julie Go Sailing", "Uninhibited Beauty", "Six Can't Make It", etc. are always shrouded in indescribable light and shadow, full of foggy and ambiguous mysteries and symbols. In his films, Paris is a chess game with life as a chessboard, or a labyrinth of symbols. His favorite themes are always abstract and daunting: about the hidden attraction of theater, about the thin thread that connects "performance" and "being", about the "secret flower" in the artist's creative process, etc.
However, his works are actually not that difficult to understand, nor are they too mysterious. If there was a formula, it would be summed up as this: the narrative is always confusing and the performance is a game.
"My shredder crushes novels"
Drama and literature are the two keys to Rivette's films. His favorite theater actors, the heroes and heroines who can appear in his camera, have all rehearsed Shakespeare, Racine and Pirandello. In 1973's "Céline and Julie Go Sailing," the heroines are trapped in a haunted house and encounter a gothic melodrama. The story unfolds in a spiral and repeats itself. , is both the ending and the beginning. It's obvious that Rivette was inspired by Henry James's most acclaimed ghost stories, and the final image of the film is, to borrow a famous quote from Cocteau, that of a little bird singing in its own genetic family tree. This can be said to be a typical "Rivette model" - he "borrowed" some stories, not adapting them, but retelling them. In the telling, these stories were given fresh flesh and blood and marked with his own unique style. brand.
The new film "Don't Touch the Ax" still continues Rivette's consistent style in terms of narrative and imagery. In Paris during the Bourbon Restoration, a drama of fiery love was magnificently staged on the stage of history. An amorous man broke into a beautiful woman's life unexpectedly. Their eyes met and they passed each other. The closed living room of the upper class became a battlefield with sparks and emotions. The original story is a novel written by Balzac in 1833, and Rivette tried his best to stay true to the textual style of the original work: "The essence of Balzac's writing, those descriptions, those long and complex sentences, have been preserved." He did not consider himself to have "adapted" the novel, saying: "I don't like the word, which means interpreting the original work." Instead, he proposed using the word "condensation." "It's a shredder that mashes up its plot and refines it anew."
The film that lets loose
Over the years Rivette has maintained a belief that the story itself is only It’s an excuse for filmmaking, not the essence. For example, this time, what initially inspired him to create was that he wanted to bring a pair of actors he liked - Jeanne Balibar and Guillaume Depardieu - together to act opposite each other. The former has collaborated with him in "Six", and the latter has starred in Leo Carax's "Pola X". “I’m curious to see what chemistry they will have together.
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Balibar said of Rivette: When he is directing a movie, there is often one actor who becomes the "director's envoy", and the "envoy" leads the rest of the actors and leads the film. In "Six Can Go?" "In "Don't Touch the Ax," the actor Sergi Castrito is the "Special Envoy" and his identity in the film is the owner of a theater troupe. relationship and became a special envoy. Because the character she plays, at least in the beginning, is a good dancer in her life circle, similar to a 'director'. ”
The “laissez-faire” approach to actors is another one of Rivette’s characteristics. Starting with the 1969 film “Mad Love”, he gave up control over actors and allowed them to do whatever they wanted. By working together to complete the film, his full trust in the actors is almost incomprehensible. “Most of the time, actors have to convince the director to listen to suggestions,” Balibar said. “But Jacques is completely opposite. He will even say. : 'Actors know more about movies than actors'. "In her opinion, the beauty of Rivette's philosophy is: put some people in a room, let the subconscious guide the conscious, let everyone be true to their hearts and true to the development of the situation, and see what happens. Perhaps it is because of this that Rivette's works, which can last up to 3 or 4 hours, may not necessarily feel lengthy, but they have an almost hypnotic power, making the audience realize that all the ups and downs and entanglements in front of them are following their own consciousness. It flows out, as if you are watching a movie in your own mind.
Maybe their works will be better if they watch more films
Rivette is popular among movie fans. He is highly praised, not only because of his works, but also because he is a model movie buff while creating movies. Like Truffaut, Godard and others, Rivette received his film education from Paris cinema. His generation was called the "Children of the Archives". Even after he turned from critic to creator, he still maintained his "greedy" observation. In an interview in 1998, he had a charming temperament. He has a "big mouth" to comment on several generations of filmmakers from Fritz Lang to the present. He boldly criticized Cartier-Bresson, who was enshrined on the altar, and also ridiculed Wenders and Wenders in a few words and to the point. "Cultural icons" such as Wong Kar-Wai, Cameron and Luc Besson. This fast-talking "Talk about Art" is cited as a classic among movie fans, and it may also be a joke. But the most touching thing about the whole text is the beginning. A confession from
“I watched a lot of movies and didn’t want to miss any of them. Watching some films by young directors, you will feel that film history for them began in the 1980s. If you watch more videos, their work might be better. The theory that there is a danger of being affected if you watch too much is a completely idiotic theory. In fact, it is precisely because you see too little that you are in danger of being influenced. The more you watch, the more you can choose the films you want to be influenced by. Sometimes such choices may not be conscious, but there are always things in life that are far more powerful and profoundly affecting than oneself. Cocteau once said: ‘Imitate, and the personal will eventually emerge. ’ Always try to do this. ”
Whether in life or in the film industry, Rivette is already a complete old man. Although he has no plans to announce his retirement like Rohmer, we have to admit that he and his generation , his involvement with film culture has become increasingly indifferent, but this taciturn and stubborn old man still stubbornly claims that he does not want to look back on the past. He is still ambitious to explore the possible boundaries of image expression. In his creative concept, the only thing that can be determined is certain. Only "uncertain": "I want to try something different from previous movies. Although unfortunately, it is not always possible to succeed. ”